When the Wonder Years formed in 2005, their initial plans were just to get together for a jam session, then head off to college in their own directions in life. Thirteen years later, they’re still playing together. They just released their sixth album; they’re in the middle of a North American tour; and they remain signed to Hopeless Records, the same label as fellow pop-punk stars Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, and New Found Glory.
Dan “Soupy” Campbell, the group’s lead singer, said during their college years, they were going to class from Monday to Friday, and playing shows on weekends and during breaks. Over time, they got noticed by record labels, played many bigger tours including the Vans Warped Tour, and went from being an opening act to having international headlining tours of their own.
“Over the course of the last 13 years, we just very incrementally, step-by-step, kind of walked to where we are now,” Campbell said.
The release of Sister Cities, the group’s sixth album, was one of the defining moments for the group in 2018. Campbell says this album is the group’s best album yet, and it was made with awareness of the group’s international following.
“The whole point of the record is about community, and kind of a global community. Not like a community where you live, or in your country, or with people that look like you or talk like you, but community and connectivity worldwide,” he said.
Using social media, they launched a pre-release challenge for fans to find a password that would unlock a secret trailer for their new album. They had 15 unique posters placed around the world in cities including Tokyo, Los Angeles and Toronto, and fans had to unite and put these posters together to discover the password. They also hosted pop-up shops, sent postcards and vinyl records to random fans, and released new music videos and singles.
Campbell says that this year has been busy, but it’s been like any other album release year. The group has toured quite a bit, but they’ve also focused quite a bit on their families and other aspects of their personal lives.
“It’s so overwhelming that my brain won’t let it be overwhelming, I just have to take everything in stride. There’s so much happening at once that you just have to process it any way you can,” he said.
Campbell added that the crowd reactions during the live shows since Sister Cities came out have shown that fans love the new album just as much as the older ones.
“Not a lot of bands can say that their fifth full-length or sixth full-length is reacting as well as the first or second one—they’re passionate about it,” he said.
For the current Wonder Years tour, the group made an effort to play in cities they don’t normally visit. On top of playing London, Ont., and Quebec City for the first time, the group made their first appearance in Ottawa since 2014. The Nov. 7 show at the Brass Monkey in Nepean brought an over-capacity crowd to the intimate basement venue.
As the headliners of a five-band bill, the group played a mix of new songs from Sister Cities as well as classics, such as “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then” and “Came Out Swinging.” The crowd sang and moshed the entire night. Towards the end of the show, fans ignored the “No Crowdsurfing” sign, as many of them attempted to float their way to the front.
As the band continues their North American tour and looks toward upcoming tours in Europe and Australia, the group is thankful that they can continue doing what they do after 13 years.
“We’re lucky to have the opportunity to still play for people that really want to hear [the music] and are excited about it,” Campbell said.
Photo by Jeff Pelletier
